TORONTO (February 16, 2017) Sportsnet is game-ready to bring Canadians coverage of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, as the best players in the world get set to represent their home countries in the two-week international tournament from March 6 to 22. Sportsnet will deliver 29 games in total, including all Team Canada games and the playoffs, on Sportsnet and Sportsnet NOW, with additional coverage on the Sportsnet Radio Network and Sportsnet.ca (see below for full schedule details).
“We have experienced the passion Canadians have for baseball and are committed to delivering the best events as part of our service,” said Bart Yabsley, VP, Content Distribution, Rogers Media. “With the World Baseball Classic, we are bringing fans an elite global competition involving some of the sport’s biggest international stars.”
The World Baseball Classic features familiar faces, names and voices during the tournament. Sportsnet’s Buck Martinez joins the international roster of on-air talent in Japan; and on the field, the Canadian team will include major leaguers such as Dalton Pompey, Freddie Freeman, and Justin Morneau, along with alumni Eric Gagne and Ryan Dempster.
Before taking on international competitors, Team Canada will face off against Canada’s other team – the Blue Jays – in an exhibition game during Spring Training in Dunedin on Tuesday, March 7 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet NOW. Plus, resident baseball expert Shi Davidi will be with Team Canada, filing reports throughout the course of the tournament.
At the World Baseball Classic, 16 countries will be competing for the coveted international championship across four pools that feature national teams from Canada, Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, U.S.A., and Venezuela. The early rounds will be played in Japan, Mexico, and the U.S. (Miami and San Diego), with the final game to be held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. For an additional overview of the World Baseball Classic, visit Sportsnet.ca
The full Sportsnet broadcast schedule is as follows:
2017 World Baseball Classic on Sportsnet
Monday, March 6
- Seoul, South Korea
- Israel vs. Korea, 4:30 a.m. ET / 1:30 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Tuesday, March 7
- Tokyo, Japan
- Cuba vs. Japan, 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Wednesday, March 8
- Tokyo, Japan
- Australia vs. Japan, 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Thursday, March 9
- Tokyo, Japan
- Australia vs. China, 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- Miami, FL, U.S.A.
- Canada vs. Dominican Republic, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- Jalisco, Mexico
- Italy vs. Mexico, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Friday, March 10
- Tokyo, Japan
- China vs. Japan, 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- Miami, FL, U.S.A.
- Colombia vs. U.S.A, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- Jalisco, Mexico
- Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Saturday, March 11
- Miami, FL, U.S.A.
- Colombia vs. Canada, Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT (Sportsnet, Sportsnet NOW)
- Dominican Republic vs. U.S.A., 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet NOW)
- Jalisco, Mexico
- Venezuela vs. Italy, 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- Puerto Rico vs. Mexico, 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT (live in progress – Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Sunday, March 12
- Miami, FL, U.S.A.
- Colombia vs. Dominican Republic, 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT (Sportsnet, Sportsnet NOW)
- Canada vs. U.S.A., 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- Jalisco, Mexico
- Italy vs. Puerto Rico, 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- Mexico vs. Venezuela, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Monday, March 13
- Tiebreakers, if necessary, details TBA (Sportsnet, Sportsnet NOW)
Tuesday, March 14
- Tokyo, Japan
- Pool B vs. Pool B (TBD), 6 a.m. ET / 3 a.m. PT (Sportsnet, Sportsnet NOW)
- Pool A2 vs. Pool B (TBD), Midnight / 9 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
- Pool C1 vs. Pool D1 (TBD), 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Wednesday, March 15
- Tokyo, Japan
- Pool A1 vs. Pool B (TBD), 6 a.m. ET / 3 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
- Pool C2 vs. Pool D2 (TBD), 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Thursday, March 16
- Tokyo, Japan
- Tiebreaker, if necessary, 6 a.m. ET / 3 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
- Pool C1 vs. Pool D2 (TBD), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet NOW)
Friday, March 17
- San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
- Pool C2 vs. Pool D1 (TBD), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet NOW)
Saturday, March 18
- San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
- Pool D1 vs. Pool D2 (TBD), 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
- Pool C1 vs. Pool C2 (TBD), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Sunday, March 19
- San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
- Tiebreaker, if necessary, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet NOW)
Monday, March 20
- Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
- Semi-final 1, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario & Pacific, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet NOW)
Tuesday, March 21
- Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
- Semi-final 2, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet NOW)
Wednesday, March 22
- Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
- Final, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet NOW)
**All broadcast times and channels are subject to change
Social Media Links
Official Website, Sportsnet sportsnet.ca
Like Sportsnet facebook.com/sportsnet
Follow Sportsnet @Sportsnet
Follow Shi Davidi @ShiDavidi
Follow Sportsnet PR @SportsnetPR
About the World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is the premier international baseball tournament, sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), as the sport’s official National Team World Championship, and features the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories. More than 2.4 million fans from all over the world have attended the tournament games, held in March 2006, March 2009 and March 2013. Team Dominican Republic is the reigning World Baseball Classic Champion after going undefeated during its 2013 championship run. The upcoming World Baseball Classic will be played in March 2017 and will again feature the greatest baseball-playing nations in the world. The tournament will be held every four years thereafter. For more information on the tournament, visit www.worldbaseballclassic.com.
About Sportsnet
Sportsnet is Canada’s #1 sports media brand, connecting Canadian sports fans to their favourite teams and athletes. Delivering storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level, the multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet NOW, and the Sportsnet app. Sportsnet consists of four regional channels (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific), and the nationally-distributed Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, and Sportsnet World. Sportsnet is the official Canadian NHL national multimedia rights holder, and is also the official regional television broadcast rights holder for the Calgary Flames (including radio rights on Sportsnet 960 The FAN), Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs (including radio rights on Sportsnet 590 The FAN), Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens. Sportsnet also has exclusive TV & radio coverage of all 162 Blue Jays games, as well as other MLB games, Toronto Raptors, NBA, Grand Slam of Curling, Rogers Cup, CHL, Thursday Night Football, IndyCar, and extensive soccer programming including Premier League, Bundesliga, and CONCACAF.
Media Contacts:
Sónia Brum, [email protected], 647.338.7381
Jordan Kerbel, [email protected], 437.995.3880